Reversing-switch.



No.v 766,351. PATENTED AUG. 2, 1904. G. H. HILL. REVERSING SWITCH.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 11, 1903. no MODEL.

Fig. I.

Witnesses j Inventor L F George HHiH W mw UNITED STATES Patented August 2, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE H. HILL, OF SOHENEOTADY, NEWV YORK, ASSIGNOR TO GEYERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

REVERSlNG-SWITCH- SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 766,351, dated. August 2, 1904.

Application filed March 11, 1903- .To ctZl whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, GEORGE H. HILL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Schenectady, in the county of Schenectady, State of 5 New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Reversing-Switches, of which the following is a specification.

My present invention relates to electrical switches, and more particularly to reversingswitches of the type commonly employed in motor-control systems.

The object of my invention is to produce a switch that will be simple in construction, readily assembled, adjustable for different sizes of motor equipments, and efiicient in operation.

The invention consists of an electric switch, such as a motor reversing-switch, having its movable member built up of a plurality of identical interchangeable contact carrying units strung on a shaft.

More specifically considered, my invention consists of a reversing-switch cylinder which is built up of a plurality of identical units, each unit comprising a disk of molded insulating material having an opening through which the shaft upon which said unit is mounted is adapted to pass, and carrying a pair of conducting elements embedded in said insulating mate- 3 rial, each of said conducting elements carrying a contact-segment, which may or may not be replaceable, as desired.

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate the preferred embodiment of my invention, Figure 1 represents a front elevation of a motor controller equipped with my improved reversing-switch. Fig. 2 is a plan view of said controller with a part of the capplate broken away to show the reversing- 4 switch. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of one of the elements or units of the reversingswitch. Fig. 4 is a plan View, partly in section, of said element; and Fig. 5 is a diagram of the connections between the contact-segments of a reversing-switch.

Referring now to the drawings, A represents a controller casing within which is mounted the controlling-switch cylinder B,

Serial No. 147,240. (No model.)

carrying the customary contact-segments B. The operating-shaft 6 of said cylinder pro- 5 jects through the cap-plate A and is adapted to receive an operating-handle.

Mounted within the controller-casing is a reversing-switch R, the shaft '2' of which is mounted at its lower end in the bearing (Z and at its upper end in the bearing (Z. The said shaft 1 is adapted to pass through the capplate A and receive the reversing-switch-controlling handle it. The customary locking mechanism between the controlling-cylinder and the reversing-switch cylinder is indicated by D.

The reversing-switch R is made up of a plurality of identical units, which are adapted to be strung on the shaft 2*. These units are in- 5 tercha-ngeable and are made of disks K, of molded insulating material, having formed therethrough an opening (2, (preferably rectangular,) through which the shaft 9' is adapted to pass. The shaft 9 is preferably made 7 with a cross-section corresponding in size and shape to the opening 6 to prevent rotary movement of said units relative to the shaft. Molded in said insulating compound and projecting from opposite sides of the units are bars or members of conducting material, adapted to carry at one end the contact-segments .5 These segments are shown in the figures as detachable, but if desired may be formed integral with said members. The opposite ends is of said conducting members project from the insulating compound, so as to be accessible to allow connecting members at or 02 to be attached thereto to electrically connect the contact-segments of the reversing-switch cylin- 5 der in the customary manner, as shown in Fig. 5, or in any other desired manner. The bars or conducting members ,0 are preferably formed of a smaller cross-section at g between their ends, so that they may be held rigidly 9 in the disk K when the insulating material is molded around them. Although I have shown each unit provided with two conducting members and contact-segments, it will be understood that the number of members and segments carried by each unit is not so limited. Any desired number of segments may be carried on either or both ends of sa1d conducting members. Each unit is provided with a projection 1) on its upper side, which is adapted to be received by a corresponding recess in the lower side of the next ad acent unit as the said units are strung upon the shaft 0' when the reversing-switch is assembled, as shown inFig. 1.

The contact-segments 8 carried by each unit are adapted to engage contact-fingers F, which are mounted in a vertical row on the block F, of insulating material, attached to the back of the controller-casing A. In order to make the units adaptable to different sizes and spacing of contact-fingers, fillerwashers of different thicknesses may be placed between the units, so as to space them differently when so desired.

The advantages to be gained by constructing the movable member of a switch according to my invention are that the said switch members may be built up of any desired number of identical interchangeable units, the number of units depending upon the equipment in which the switch is to be used, the switch shown in Fig. 1 being designedfor a two motor equipment. Furthermore, the units can be made in large quantities and the rapidity with which the switch is assembled makes the cost of assembling the parts very small as compared with that of the switchcylinders now in common use. My improved switch also has the important advantage of having the contact-segments of the cylinder which are not in use insulated from those which are in use.

Although I have shown and described my invention as applied to a reversing-switch contained within the ordinary motor-controller casing, it is clear that my invention is not limited in its application to such switches. The invention may be used in controllingswitches of various types, in train-con trol systems employing mechanically or electromagnetically-actuated reversing-switches, and in many other ways that will suggest themselves to persons skilled in the art.

In the appended claims Ialm to cover all modifications which do not depart from the spirit and scope of my invention.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, .is-'

1. An electric-switch cylinder comprising a plurality of identical units of molded insulating material, each unit having formed therethrough an opening through which a shaft is adapted to pass and carrying a plurality of contact-segments so constructed and arranged that the units are interchangeable on the shaft.

2. An electric-switch cylinder comprising a plurality of identical, interchangeable units of molded insulating material strung on a shaft, each unit having molded therein a plurality of conducting membersinsulated from each other and contact-segments carried by said members.

3. In a reversing-switch, a movable member made up of a plurality of identical units strung on a shaft, each unit carrying a pair of contact-segments insulated from each other, in combination with a plurality of contact-fingers adapted to engage said contact-segments.

4. A unit for a switch-cylinder, comprising a disk of molded insulating material, and a pair of conducting elements embedded in said insulating material and accessible from opposite sides of said disk.

5. A unit for a switch-cylinder, comprising a disk of molded insulating material having an opening through which the shaft upon which said unit is mounted is adapted to pass, conducting elements embedded in said insulating material and insulated from one another, and contact-segments carried by said conducting elements.

In witness whereof I have hereunto setmy hand this 9th day of March,-1903.

GEORGE H. HILL. WVitnesses:

BENJAMIN B. HULL, HELEN ORFORD. 

